San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-07-18
THE INDUSTRIAL SOUTH.


The experimental stage Of the south
ern Industrial movement has already
passed. That 1t Is temporary spAsm Of
Industrial energy which has seized the
south no one any longer believes. In
the first flush OF this movement, some
thing like five years since, most OF the
northern journals and many OF the
southern "a well looked upon the boom
as a temporary galyanizing into life Of
the old spirit that had aGtuated the
south during the times that tried mems
souls. Each year has witnessed q steady
growth in all that makes for material In
crease; each year has seen new indus
tries planted, a new hold taken on the
natural resources OF the entire region
lying between the Potomac and the
gulf and the impression has become
fixed that the south has entered the
race for manufacturing and mechanical
supremacy as well as for agricultural
pre-eminence. This movement has
been very largely confined to that region
lying between the Mississippi river and
the Atlantic sea board, and the star OF
Industrial empire has not as yet risen
very distinctly over either Arkansas or
Texas. Even here there are symptoms
Of changes and the next five years will
see q very marked increase In the num-
Der and nature OF our industrial enter
prises. The meriment of which note is
hnfp lltr tot hy all
interested north, is most apparent In
Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama
aud Georgia. The years crowd each
other In this race for southern develop
ment and yet each successive year so
far distances its predecessor that 1t
seems as though the rush for improve
ment had just begun. Last year 1886
far Outstripped any Of its predecessors,
and yet the first six months of
1887 have witnessed more increase
than the whole twelve preceding them.
In no one thing is this development de-
mOnstrated, but In all the branches OF
mechanical skill. The production OF pig
iron has attracted more attention than
anything else, probably because 1t was
so unlocked for, the mines of Pennsylva-
mia, Missouri and the Michigan penin-
sulR being looked TO for this continents
supply, but pig iron production is only
one of the many new channels into
which northern capital and southern
energy have projected themselves.
There are fOunderies, steel-rail mills,
lumber mills, carriage and wagon fac
tories, cotton mills, planning mills, can
ming factories, silk culture, etc. These
are but the beginning Of better things,
for these all mean an Increase OfpOpula-
ton. In their train will come capital
and skilled labor and agricultural enter
prise that will make Of the cotton fields
OF the south one vast orchard and vege-
table garden. The time that 1t will re-
quire to put these industries on their
feet will not DO so long as many antici-
pate. The northern development since
1860 is sponsor for a deVel-
opment in these states that
will soon breast the progress OF
that section which has pioneered
the way. Instead of score OF years
semI-decade will answer for such de-
velOpment as was not dreamed OF five
years since. Texas in time will come
into this same progressive movement.
She has unsurpassed natural advantages.
Coal, iron, lime, timber, water power,
kaolin, not to mention her herds and
fiocks which, when fatted at home and
exported as dressed meat, will more
than supply the butcher stalls Of con-
tinent. The influx Of northern manu-
featuring capital Into the more eastern
Of the southern states naturally precedes
that influx into Texas, but the signs are
multiplied that capital and skilled labor
are looking with favorable eye upon
Texas, and soon the prospeGtOr will
open the gates of her natural resources
az we'll. The unrlValed climatic cOndl-
tions which obtain in Texas give her
an advantage not found elsewhere, and
it is only matter Of a fe ~ years, possibly
months, before Texas will receive such
an impetus to all industrial movements
as 4will astOnish the dOZers in sleepy
hollow and place her fairly abreasC Of
the very foremost Of our progressive
states.